Three former Ubisoft executives, accused of sexual assault, racial harassment, and threatening conduct, have all been given suspended prison sentences and fines.
Serge Hascoët, Ubisoft's former chief creative officer and once the right-hand man to CEO Yves Guillemot, alongside former editorial vice president Thomas François and former game designer Guillame Patrux, all left the company in 2020. Their departures—a mix of resignations and dismissals—came amid a flood of allegations.
Court proceedings revealed details including accusations that Hascoët made racist remarks to a Muslim employee following the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, and that the same employee faced ongoing racial harassment under his supervision. Other female employees accused him of inappropriate and vulgar behavior.
As Ubisoft's former second-in-command, Hascoët was also accused of fostering a toxic work culture that enabled his protégé, François, to act without consequence, according to Libération. Hascoët allegedly treated staff degradingly, such as requiring an assistant to make a long round trip on a day off solely to retrieve an iPad.
François faced accusations of regularly watching adult videos at work, kissing colleagues, and making sexual comments. One specific sexual assault allegation stemmed from a Ubisoft Christmas party, where he is said to have forced himself on a young employee. Other degrading acts allegedly included tying a staff member to a chair and forcing a colleague to cut his toenails.
Patrux, meanwhile, was accused of violent and intimidating behavior toward colleagues.
Hascoët received an 18-month suspended prison sentence and a €45,000 ($53,000) fine for complicity in moral harassment. François was given a three-year suspended sentence and a €30,000 ($35,000) fine after being found guilty of attempted sexual assault. Patrux received a 12-month suspended sentence and a €10,000 ($11,700) fine.
Ubisoft declined to comment when contacted by IGN.
